1892 Wyoming gubernatorial special election
The 1892 Wyoming gubernatorial special election was held on November 6, 1892. Republican Governor Francis E. Warren, who was elected in 1890, resigned several weeks into his term after being elected to the U.S. Senate by the state legislature, elevating Secretary of State Amos W. Barber to the governorship and triggering a special election for the balance of Warren's term.
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| Turnout | 28.43% of total population  2.02 | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Osborne: 50–60% 70–80% Ivinson: 40–50% No Data/Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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The Republican Party nominated banker Edward Ivinson for Governor and Democrats nominated former State Representative and former Rawlins Mayor John E. Osborne. In an election that was largely defined by the Johnson County War, in which cattle companies, supported by the state's Republican establishment, attacked alleged rustlers and homesteaders in the Powder River Country. The Republican support for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association severely hurt the party's performance across the state, as Osborne centered his campaign around his opposition to the invasion.[1] Osborne defeated Ivinson by a wide margin, Democrats won a majority in the Wyoming Legislature,[2] and Republican Benjamin Harrison barely won the state in the 1892 presidential election.
Party conventions
editPrior to the adoption of Wyoming's primary law in 1911, the political parties nominated their candidates for office by convention. Both the Democratic and Republican conventions were hotly contested and drawn-out. As the Democratic convention started, two candidates were seen as the frontrunners: former State Senator Leopold Kabis and J. J. Hart.[3] During the convention, Kabis, Hart, and former State Senator William H. Holliday earned strong support and were unwilling to yield, resulting in more than thirty ballots without a nominee.[4] On the thirty-seventh ballot, Kabis withdrew from consideration and Osborne emerged as a compromise candidate, winning the nomination.[5]
At the Republican convention, three frontrunners emerged: retired banker Edward Ivinson, banker DeForest Richards, and State Senator Frank W. Mondell.[6] The contest among all three men was close,[7] but on the tenth ballot, Richards withdrew from consideration and Ivinson was nominated over Mondell by a vote of 70 to 33.[8]
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Osborne | 9,290 | 53.84% | +9.22% | |
| Republican | Edward Ivinson | 7,509 | 43.52% | −11.87% | |
| Prohibition | William Brown | 421 | 2.44% | — | |
| Write-ins | 36 | 0.21% | — | ||
| Majority | 1,781 | 10.32% | −0.44% | ||
| Turnout | 17,256 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
edit- ^ "John E. Osborne: A Sketch of the Next Governor of Wyoming". Salt Lake Herald. Salt Lake City, Utah. August 17, 1890. p. 9. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Davis, John W. (November 8, 2014). "The Johnson County War: 1892 Invasion of Northern Wyoming". WyoHistory.org. Wyoming State Historical Society. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Wyoming Democrats: The Democratic State Convention Meets and Organizes". Nebraska State Journal. Lincoln, Neb. July 28, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Wyoming Democrats Meet: And Put a Ticket in the Field for the Coming Campaign". Pittsburgh Dispatch. Pittsburgh, Pa. July 29, 1892. p. 7. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Wyoming Rejoices: John E. Osborne Nominated for Governor". Salt Lake Herald. Salt Lake City, Utah. July 29, 1892. p. 9. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Victory Sure in Wyoming: It Matters Not Much Whom the Republicans Nominate To-Day". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 14, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Wyoming Republicans". El Paso Times. El Paso, Tex. September 15, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Put Up a Winning Ticket: Nominations for State Officers Made by Wyoming Republicans". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 15, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Erwin, Marie (1974). Trenholm, Virginia Cole (ed.). Wyoming Blue Book (PDF). Vol. 2. Cheyenne, Wyo.: Pioneer Printing & Stationery Co. pp. 538–39.